Ground Kontrol is a video game/pinball and

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

, in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. It is known for preserving games from the

Golden Age of Video Arcade Games The golden age of arcade video games was the period of rapid growth, technological development and cultural influence of arcade video games, from the late 1970s to the early 1980s. The period began with the release of ''Space Invaders'' in 1978, ...

. It also serves as a venue for

DJs A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music festival), mobile ...

and live music.

History

Since opening in 1999, Ground Kontrol has undergone several changes. The arcade was originally created and opened by Betty Farrier, and

Kneel Cohn Kneel Cohn (born January 12, 1976) in The Bronx, New York is the primary songwriter, lead singer and guitarist for Warshow Angels, and The Dead Stars On Hollywood, known for the songs "Prozac Smile" and "Flaunt it Like This". He has performed w ...

of the bands Warshow Angels and

The Dead Stars on Hollywood The Dead Stars on Hollywood were an American rock band based in New York City, that incorporated elements of glam, new wave and goth into their alternative rock sound. The group's name was inspired by the "cinematic" imagery of the glory days of o ...

. In March 2003, it came under the new ownership of Timewarp Incorporated. In September 2004, Ground Kontrol moved to a new location In December 2010, Ground Kontrol moved to a temporary location to accommodate a remodel. During renovation, a kitchen and new seating were added, the restrooms were moved, and the decor took on a

Tron ''Tron'' (stylized as ''TRON'') is a 1982 American science fiction action-adventure film written and directed by Steven Lisberger from a story by Lisberger and Bonnie MacBird. The film stars Jeff Bridges as Kevin Flynn, a computer programmer a ...

-esque vibe. On December 11, 2011, Ground Kontrol announced that it was now a full-service bar. In April 2017, Ground Kontrol expanded into the former location of

Backspace Backspace () is the keyboard key that originally pushed the typewriter carriage one position backwards and in modern computer systems moves the display cursor one position backwards,"Backwards" means to the left for left-to-right languages. delete ...

, renovating it to include a new bar area, several video screens and a connecting hallway. The newer expanded area was built with a

WarGames ''WarGames'' is a 1983 American science fiction techno-thriller film written by Lawrence Lasker and Walter F. Parkes and directed by John Badham. The film, which stars Matthew Broderick, Dabney Coleman, John Wood, and Ally Sheedy, follows Dav ...

-esque vibe. A further renovation of the entrance on NW Couch St. was completed in June 2018.

Events

* In June 2004, a world record high score competition was held jointly at Ground Kontrol; Aftershock RetroGames Arcade in

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...

; and the Houston Area Arcade Group Expo in

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

Twin Galaxies Twin Galaxies is an organization and social media platform for people involved in the culture and activity of playing video games. It facilitates their interaction as well as their competition and recognizes their achievements. Twin Galaxie ...

maintained the results of the competitions for world record consideration. * Portland Pinbrawl, an annual pinball tournament, is held at Ground Kontrol. * In 2010, Ground Kontrol was the winner of three arcades competing in

Stride gum Stride is a brand of sugar-free chewing gum created by Cadbury (owned by Mondelēz International), sold in packs of 14 pieces. It was introduced in May 2006. Current flavors There are 20 flavors in total. * Always Mandarin * Eternal Melon * Fore ...

's "Save the Arcades 2" contest. The owners used the $25,000 prize to assist in funding a full remodeling of the arcade and to buy more games.

Recognition

In July, 2010,

Sunset Magazine ''Sunset'' is a lifestyle magazine in the United States. ''Sunset'' focuses on homes, cooking, gardening, and travel, with a focus almost exclusively on the Western United States. The magazine is published six times per year by the Sunset Publish ...

included Ground Kontrol in the "Best of Portland: Hotels, Dining, and Attractions 2010" publication calling it the "Old Hot Spot" in Portland's

Chinatown A Chinatown () is an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Austra ...

. The

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. de ...

listed Ground Kontrol as one of "Five places to revisit the '80s". Ground Control won in the "Best Game Bar" category of ''

Willamette Week ''Willamette Week'' (''WW'') is an alternative weekly newspaper and a website published in Portland, Oregon, United States, since 1974. It features reports on local news, politics, sports, business, and culture. History Early history ''Willame ...

'' "Best of Portland Readers' Poll 2020".

References

External links

* {{coord, 45.523897, -122.675588, type:landmark_region:US-OR_source:googlemaps, display=title 1999 establishments in Oregon Companies based in Portland, Oregon Entertainment companies established in 1999 Nightclubs in Portland, Oregon Northwest Portland, Oregon Old Town Chinatown Privately held companies based in Oregon Video arcades

History

Events

Recognition

See also

References

External links